Denny Swift is a Formula One race car driver who understands that the techniques needed on the racetrack can also be used to successfully navigate everyday life. Besides his career, Denny has three loves of his life -- his beautiful wife, their young daughter and his best friend, which is a dog that wants to be reincarnated into a human.
Romantic films aren’t really my go-to kinda film but this film was really unique which definitely will make me think twice about seeing another like this. After seeing Amanda Seyfried and the rest of the cast in New York being interviewed about the film, I was really interested to see what it was about and whether it would be worth watching. At first glance, this film may appear as if it is purely for racing and car fans which tells a simple, cliché story - but what really NEARLY upset me about this film was just how immersive, realistic and entertaining that it felt. It wasn’t anything new in terms of story choice, but at the same time it felt like it had its own twists and elements which help it to stand out from something like ‘Marley and Me’. The film feels much more like a story though and follows the lives of both man and dog in an exciting and entertaining way. Onto the main question though, is ‘The art of racing in the rain’ getting a podium finish or is it crashing into the barrier at the first turn? Here are my thoughts.
All films like this start the same way but I thought that here it felt a little unique - the film started off by introducing us to Enzo laying on the floor covered in urine, accompanied by his narration (which proved to be one of the - if not the best elements of the film). Not only did his narrative help us to understand how the film would work but it also established a key sense of fluidity by establishing a single narrator. The way the film ends is a similar scene, which helps to bring the film into one big loop, adding a good sense of fluidity. As well as this though it felt fresh how we were introduced to Enzo and Denny as older characters because we essentially could see where they had ended up, and the purpose of the film was to show us how the characters get there. I absolutely loved how throughout the film we had a narration from Enzo, not only did it help to show us the story of the film from another perspective but it was really exciting how it ‘engaged’ with us which meant that we really felt like we understood the characters (silly I know) and meant that we had sympathy for the characters - so when Denny’s wife died or when he was in a battle for his daughter we could really sympathise with the characters because we were hearing from one of them. In this way it was really immersive because the characters relationships were established early on, therefore we could follow them really easily, such as Denny’s father in law’s dislike to Denny - throughout the film we could really cleverly see this, so whenever he came onto the camera there was a really clever set of dialogue from Enzo which helped to represent how the audience felt. This was an important relationship though, because not only did he represent the relentless and old fashioned father but he was just an all-round nasty character and the way he was represented by trying to sue Denny after his wife had died was horrible and really helped the audience to engage through the use of shock - it was very effective and I found myself holding back from ”boo” ”hiss” when he came on the screen! The characters were generally really great though, Milo Ventimiglia, Kevin Costner and Amanda Seyfried bring their A games to this film, not only do they feel realistic but the ways in which they communicate with each other and help to immerse us in the characters is amazing - they all really feel like they’ve done a great job here and are key to the success of the film. Amanda may have been a mean girl but she definitely feels mature here, and settles into her role perfectly, which leaves her character feeling bright, exciting and a perfect fit for the film. You can feel a very strong connection between their characters Denny, Eve and Enzo the dog respectively because we are exposed to their life experiences, we see things through the eyes and perspectives of the dog. Sure, it isn’t massively realistic how Enzo is fascinated by racing cars but the passion and human-like emotions that we seen from him are really exciting and feel passionate which means that the character feels realistic and immersive, such as when we see him and Denny racing around the track at the end and when he is hit by the car - the underlying message is really important here that dogs really are mans best friend, Enzo is always active here which really helps to shed the focus on him but in different scenarios. I loved the mixture of racing and family though too, seeing Denny consistently struggling with the balance before and after Eve dies of cancer is really effective because it gives us an important message - he may be a big-time racing driver but he is also just a normal human being so seeing him struggling and emotional is really powerful - but then in contrast we also see him winning too by winning races and seeing how racing is his life and his passion - this just helps to make the racing storyline feel and seem realistic to him. As well as this though the racing is an important element to the film because it helps to establish why Enzo is so interested in it and therefore shapes the storyline, and helps to add meaning to the racing element. It also feels really immersive though, as a fan of car racing it was really fun and exciting to witness seeing racing car's all over the tracks, as well as general supercar races and the 250 California at the end were great scenes and definitely a treat for racing fans! The film didn't focus on the actual races as much, but was a nice touch. I liked how there were some cool links in the film too, such as the theme of how well Denny can drive in the rain and how he doesn't fear the unpredictable nature of it - linking into character changes and of course the nature of the film.
As well as this though, the storyline was epic. This was a key element of the film though because in romantic films like this - typically they all follow the same type of storyline with similar events - but this film adds a cool and refreshing twist to make the film easy to understand whilst being exciting and entertaining. As I’ve mentioned before, the narrative by Kevin Costner was a key element of the film. This is because it really helps to explain what is happening in the film and to personify the moods of the characters, I also really thought that a lot of narrative was a really beneficial and important element to the film because it gave it a sense of flow and consistency and kept us up to date with what was happening. The actual plot of the film is really interesting too, the typical romance film plot is there (dates, death, court case, an animal/child to look after) but I love how the film incorporates so much more by adding in racing and teaching into the film because it just helps to make the characters feel much more realistic and engaging because it doesn’t just focus on the main storyline, but we also experience their general lives and the struggles and challenges that the characters go through. It isn’t just this though, the film has a really important theme of family and belonging throughout which is great to see and actually gives the film meaning - seeing things like the restraining order and the argument at the funeral really strongly personifies how the film is put together - because we get general vibes and themes throughout where the emotions of the characters help to match what is going on and the main story. The general story was really exciting and felt realistic though, seeing how Enzo came into the story, how Denny’s family was created, how Eve got cancer. These key events were well structured and put together, which meant that it feels smooth and fluid and that something is always happening - as well as this though the film just feels very well put together and results in it being very entertaining. It also raises a lot of good and valid questions for us after watching it too, how can we "create our own conditions" so that when life "rains," it's just rain and not dangerous and slippery? It actually feels emotional though because of this, seeing how Enzo was obsessed with being reincarnated as a human being and then seeing a child called Enzo as a fan of Denny at the end really felt emotional because of how there seemed to be a connection between the two - even after the dog had died. As well as this, Eve dying from cancer really feels emotional as well, sure characters in a film dying from cancer is typical but it is a horrible disease and seeing the impact it has on Denny and his daughter is devastating, as well as seeing how much of an impact she had on him before really builds up them as a pair and their relationship feels strong so it is sad when she is taken from us.
The film isn’t all perfect though, some of the themes involving Enzo were interesting and exciting to watch and witness (such as the reincarnation scenes and ripping up the legal papers) but it just felt a little bit too far fetched for it to be taken seriously because it is difficult to believe that even a dog as intelligent as Enzo would understand those concepts and what they actually mean. Although the reincarnation element to the film was entertaining and a key part of the film, it just felt too difficult to grasp that Enzo would understand it... The screenplay doesn't do Stein's book justice, the advice may not linger after the credits roll, and the story is so sad that it will turn off as many audiences as it attracts, even though it is crucial to telling the story - if you give it a try it will definitely prove to be worth it.
Overall, I would give this film a 9. I thought it was great, I loved how gripping the story felt, I loved how well the characters felt and how they interacted with each other in various different scenarios. I just generally thought that the film felt really unique and fresh by incorporating a normal romantic film storyline with a completely different theme - car racing and I really feel that this combination helped to make the characters feel really exciting and fun - as well as being realistic and immersive. The storyline feels very well put together, even if it is a little far fetched at times. Would I recommend this film? 100% yes, it’s a great film which feels really entertaining, very well put together and will be exciting and emotional for all types of audiences, regardless of your movie tastes. But I like how the film seems to attract all audience types because it doesn’t just focus on pleasing a single audience, and by adding in hard-hitting elements like a custody battle and a cancer battle, it really allows the film to be taken seriously and means that all audiences will find it hard-hitting and emotional.
Thank for reading my review, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did watching the film and writing this review. I hope you have a lovely day and please if you have time, head over to my Facebook page and give it a like. This is my passion and every like and view I receive means the world to me. ❤
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